GREAT NEW IDEA: What if we treated each other like dogs?
Now hear me out ... the other day I was trail running and passed a man walking a beautiful Siberian Husky. I greeted them both as I jogged past, and the pup saw my kindness as an invitation to run together. He started up in my direction, eager to see where I was going too - but then his leashed pulled him back, as is a dog's life.
I didn't think much of it, but then a few seconds later I saw another beautiful Siberian Husky coming towards us. It was a Husky kind of day! I looked back to see if the other husky was still there, and witnessed the most joyful moment as the two nearly identical pups met and greeted each other with such an abundance of love it stopped me in my tracks (literally!) They playfully sniffed each other, pranced around, and then proceeded to get up on their back legs and wrap each other in a puppy hug - paws wrapped around each other. Too cute !
What if we embraced each other with Greetings of Love the way the Huskies do?
As I continued my run, my mind kept going back to the Greeting of Love I had witnessed. It made me think of the kinds of greetings that become normal to us in the Human World ....
... coming home from a long day and the family is "too busy" to glance up from their text book or computer.
... when you arrive to the workplace in the morning and no one so much as glances in your direction to ask how your morning was. ... when you walk through a crowd of people and no one even looks you in the eye?
It kind of makes you feel invisible, huh?
Can you imagine if you paused for 30 seconds to give someone you love (or whoever!) a “Husky Greeting of Love”? Who wouldn’t want to be welcomed and acknowledged like that - for just EXISTING and crossing your path!?
It's these little ways in which we treat each other that come to make up our cultural norms. We value productivity over joy, so we skimp on the FUN and focus on the STRESS. Because the busier the better, right? (Hah - NO WAY!)
What if we paused and looked up? What if we smiled at a stranger? What if next time our spouse comes home, we pause what we are doing and walk to the door to say hello? What if we act more like those adorable huskies?
My guess is that the world will feel less lonely and like a warm hug instead.
I would love to hear your thoughts about how we can start a new culture of Husky Greetings ... what do we think?!
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